December 15, 2011

Still dealing with icy sidewalks and streets since the temperature has not risen above 45 degrees since it snowed last Monday. Not a single ray of sunshine today making it feel way below the 33 degrees it shows on the bank sign at 1:30pm. My classes went well and students in the second period were delighted to have copies of the photos I had taken some time ago.

I ran into Shahlo as I was making my way to the cafeteria across the street and told her I was having trouble getting the new whiteboard into classroom #12 as I still didn’t have a key. She told me that was her classroom and she had not being told my classes were being moved into it.  She told me she had a key, but it was useless since someone had recently broken the door in order to get in. She insisted I accompany her to inspect the door and then saw Pariso coming down the hallway. Shahlo bluntly asked Pariso why she wasn’t helping me with the issues I was having and I tried to deflect the blow by saying Pariso was too busy teaching at the same time I was or at the other school she works at and didn’t have time for me. Apparently, my classes will be over tomorrow unless I'm told otherwise. Is it possible I won't have any classes between now and early February? Who knows?

The door in questions has had two separate locks installed and both had been broken into, the last one leaving a gap around where the door handle would have been. Pariso’s solution, as usual, was to ask the students to chip in money to have a new lock installed, something I refuse to do. As it is, I see the door in need of replacement and I’ve no idea what that could cost or whether the institute would even allow it. Pariso asked me once again for a copy of my passport to hand it to my landlady for the letter of recommendation.

I then proceeded to the copy center to put together the handouts for Saturday’s presentation. I decided to offer pastries, coffee and tea and looked for the pastry shop Elisabeth had found across from the Ismoili Plaza and found it tucked in behind some arches. These pastries have very little sugar as they are made mostly with dried fruit and nuts and come in small sizes perfect for placing on a napkin and eating them thus obviating the need for eating utensils.

Elisabeth called to say she had found a sheepskin coat similar to hers at the second hand shop and had set it aside for me to look at. I was already home and cooking and not about to go out again. I’ll try to do that tomorrow after I return from the embassy where I need to go to pay for my trip to the conference in Kathmandu.

I emailed all the ELFs and Daroush to try and get everyone together to take Peter out to dinner this Saturday as his departure date is near.